After eight years in development, Delaware will roll out a new administrator evaluation that’s getting attention for its focus on leadership characteristics connected to student achievement.
Beginning with the 2005–06 school year, the Delaware Performance Appraisal System (DPAS II) was pilot-tested in a handful of schools. School leaders oversaw the adoption of the system in all Delaware school districts and charter schools over the summer. All public schools must use the appraisal system.
DPAS II uses five components connected to student learning to evaluate a leader’s performance:
The immediate supervisor of a principal or administrator will serve as his or her evaluator. The two will work together to set goals using school and student data. They will align the goals they set with existing school and district goals and will determine what data will be used to show whether progress was made. School board members will be trained to use the new appraisal system to evaluate superintendents.
Close to the end of the year, each principal and administrator, the people they supervise, and their evaluators will be asked to complete an online survey that includes detailed job performance questions. All responses are anonymous. Participation is voluntary, so some teachers will elect not to complete a survey.
Evaluators use the surveys combined with the data collected during the year to have candid conversations with school leaders about their progress. Based on the outcome, principals and administrators earn a performance score of “effective,” “needs improvement,” or “ineffective.”
Delaware’s state education department will continuously monitor the system to determine how well it works. In addition, it has hired outside consultants to review the system. The feedback will be used to make ongoing improvements.
“Delaware Rolling Out New Evaluations for Principals,” by Lesli A. Maxwell, Education Week, June 11, 2008.
